But in the End it's Right
by rain927
Summary: Valentine's Day sucks for Harry, and then he gets a mysterious letter... Silly at first, but amusing I hope. Slash, doesn't follow the books. I'll edit the chapters that are already up, and add one new chapter. If there's interest in that, I'll write more
1. Worst Day of the Year

"C'mon Harry, it's time to get up!" yelled Ron from the bathrooms. "We can't just sleep through this day, as much as I know we both would love to."

"Ugh…," moaned Harry grumpily. "I don't wanna go... Please... Just 18 more hours... You can't make me go... I refuse... Go away..."

"Come on Harry, none of us want to do anything today, but we have to. C'mon, if we have to do it, so do you. We'll go through it together. We're tough. We can make it," shouted Dean from his bed.

"Easy for you to say," Harry replied grumpily. "Dean, you've got Seamus to spend the day with. Ron, I've seen you with Lavender, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Harry snickered as Ron turned beet-red, and started to mumble something about just friends. "So all of you just stop all this about knowing how rough it is, alright? Just stop. Now." Harry rolled over sulkily, burying his head in his pillow. Then he lifted his head up, rolled his eyes to the heavens, and screamed as loudly as he could. "I HATE VALENTINE'S DAY!"

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**Disclaimer: I did not come up with Harry Potter or any of the characters involved in the Harry Potter stories. J.K. Rowling is the genius behind them. This is why she is a very rich woman. Go her!**


	2. What a Wonderful Way to Start the Day

It took about half an hour for the other boys in the dormitory to convince Harry that he did indeed have to get up today. They were forced to roll him out of bed and drag him into the showers, pajamas and all. Normally, they would have just let him suffer the consequences of being late, but Neville insisted that it wasn't fair to make him go through this day alone. Angry, Harry decided he wasn't going to tell Neville that Luna secretly had a crush on him. He stomped around the dorm as he got dressed and ready for the day. He slammed doors, yelled at people in his way, threw everything he could, and just generally ensured that everyone knew he was royally pissed. Finally, he stomped out of the commons room, and trudged down to the Great Hall.

He begrudgingly sat down at his usual spot at the Gryffindor table, next to Ron, across from Hermione. Or at least, he tried to. But, much to his chagrin, he found Lavender Brown sitting there.

"Good morning Harry!" she said, entirely too cheerfully in Harry's opinion. He noticed, disgustedly, that she was wearing a red jumper with bright pink hearts all over it. "How are you this morning?"

"Quite crappy, and yourself?" Harry answered irritably. Lavender giggled nervously.

"Well, I'm fine, thanks for asking Harry." She smiled anxiously. Harry snorted in disgust. Hermione glared at him from across the table. Sighing, he went around the end of the table and sat down next to her. He helped himself to four red heart-shaped pancakes and then proceeded to stab and smash them until they were fully obliterated.

"Um... Harry..." Hermione whispered meekly, "I think they're dead now."

Harry snorted again. Then, he saw Hedwig sailing towards him. This cheered him up a bit. "Hey girl," he said, almost tenderly. He reached out to retrieve the letter from her leg, but realized that there wasn't one. Nevertheless, she clicked her beak expectantly. Harry chuckled softly. "What makes you think you deserve a treat? You didn't bring me anything," he teased gently. She turned her head so her eyes were locked with his, and hooted dejectedly. "Oh, alright, here you go." Harry fed her a shred of pancake from his plate. "You know better than to get caught up in all that love crap, don't you? You're the only girl I need... My baby." He ran his fingers gently over the soft feathers of her belly.

Then, a large barn owl glided over and landed on the edge of a bowl of fruit. He hooted at Hedwig, and then took off. Hedwig left, following him closely, affectionately really.

Needless to say, Harry was infuriated. He jumped up onto the table, seized a strawberry muffin from Hermione's plate, and hurled it at the lovesick birds.

Again, Harry yelled that phrase that was beginning to come so easily to his lips. It wasn't the first time he had said the phrase that day, and he was certain it wouldn't be the last. As he stomped from the Great Hall, his screams echoed behind him: "**I HATE VALENTINE'S DAY!**"

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**Author's notes: I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. Wish I did though. If I did, I could think of MUCH better things to do with some of them. -Evil grin-**

**I realized after I posted the first chappy how annoying it can look in all bold. Thankies to Itzuki for pointing it out to me.**


	3. A Royal Hissy Fit and its Cure

**Author's notes (I think I'm starting to get the hang of these things): Warnings- slashiness. Don't like it, don't read it. Later on, there may be some slight angst, perhaps some OOC, and some AU. Nothing MAJOR, I mainly just don't want to have to worry about all the details of the last few books. I guess consider it as starting during their fifth year, only without any of the details from the fifth book. I don't think it will be difficult to follow. Also, last time, I forgot to thank my other reviewer, Grand Master FFX.**

**Well, all that being said, I have this to declare- I own NOTHING. Tragically, these characters have stolen my heart and mind, and offered me nothing in return. So, I'm stuck writing fanfics... A starving artist... Living on reviews alone. My, how very melodramatic of me. Hehe.**

**Well I guess I'm done with my notes now, hope you like the story. Peace love and soy sauce!**

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As Harry burst into the dormitory, he was still doing everything possible to make all things around him, living and inanimate, feel his frustration. When he reached his bed, he kicked the magically-reinforced wooden post as violently as he could. Of course, this only made the situation worse. He let out a pained scream and launched himself onto his bed, biting the pillow and beating the mattress with his fists. 

Gradually, he got tired and his throat began to hurt, so he settled for scowling and sighing heavily. Once he had quieted down, he heard tapping coming from the window. He trudged to the window and saw one of the school owls sitting on the sill, a letter with his name on it tied to her leg. He opened the window, quickly untied the note from her leg and then shoved her back outside. She looked at him scathingly and pecked the window before flying away.

Harry looked down at the piece of parchment in his hands. His name was written on it in smooth, elegant handwriting he didn't recognize. He opened the letter and began to read.

_Dearest Harry-_

_I know how much you despise this day. I thought that perhaps this letter would help make it a bit easier to bear. I sent this to you in the hopes that it will cheer you up, even if only slightly, and perhaps even make you smile. I must prefer your smiling to your sulking. I have been planning to write this letter for quite a while now. I have long wished to tell you that you mean much more than you mostly likely think you do. The truth is, I have been captivated by you since our first meeting. Sadly, due to our circumstances, I am not able to reveal myself to you at this time. Nevertheless, I am sure you will figure it out eventually. You are not unintelligent. _

Harry looked up for a moment, trying to decide whether this was a compliment or an insult. After a few moments' speculation, he returned to the letter.

_I suppose that is all I have to tell you for now. If you wish to write me, send the owl back with your response. She'll know where to find me. If you have, as I suspect, already sent her away, you will have to wait for me to send you another letter, and perhaps you will be a bit more patient next time. Goodbye for now. Don't be surprised if you hear from me again sooner than you expect..._

_Your forever, _

_A Hidden Fan_

At the bottom was a quick note, abandoning the graceful print of above, although it still wasn't in a hand he recognized.

_Post Script- That was quite a nice fit you threw at breakfast. Very charming. _

Harry closed the letter and tucked it into his shirt pocket. As he began gathering his things for class, he wondered if today might not be such a bad day after all.


	4. Screaming and Daydreaming

**Author's notes- Surprise. I still own nothing. I don't even own my tonsils anymore. They are now gone... Lost amid all the other biohazardous waste. Fun. This story contains slash, don't like it, don't read it. Well that's about it. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Oh yeah, _Italicized letters._ Probably pretty obvious, but I just figured I should make it absolutely clear.**

**I was recently reading through this and decided that while it may be crap, it is salvageable crap. Hopefully someone will find it and like it and it will be worth it to them.**

**Oh yeah... Forgot about Ron being on the Quidditch team... Well, just go along with it, I hope that people will forgive my minor lapses in continuity with the books.

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Up until this year, Harry had faked his way through the motions of a typical heterosexual male. He had been slightly attracted to Cho, but he quickly realized that those feelings were fading, and mostly superficial. He had told Hermione and Ron of his true sexuality, which had caused Hermione to constantly worry about him and Ron to become increasingly distant. Due to these reactions, he hadn't "come out" to anyone else in the school yet. The way he thought of it, why give the other students even more reason to hate and harass him? He hoped that no one else would find out until he was found snogging with another boy in the hallway.

Much to his dismay, about a week after he told Ron and Hermione, Collin Creevey asked Harry in the hallway if he would consider going to Hogsmeade together sometime. There was an explosion, both literally and verbally. Harry had yelled at Collin for a full five minutes, only stopping when he accidentally hexed the boy.

Harry hadn't talked to Ron much since then. At least lately they had been able to speak for short times civilly, though Harry still didn't trust him with any important information. Normally Ron wouldn't spill a secret quite that easily, but Dean and Seamus had discovered Ron's weakness for fire whiskey. Rumors had it that if you were bored and wanted to have a good time, cheap entertainment could be provided by getting Ron drunk. Consequently, he was often tipsy, especially on weekend nights. He was never one to refuse a free drink, and some seventh-years, who had recently learned about potency potions, discovered a way to get him drunk off just one glass. Ron had been kicked off the Quidditch team, and Dumbledore told him that if he was caught on top of the Astronomy Tower singing "I'm a Little Teapot" in his underpants at two in the morning again, they would be forced to expel him. But the worst had been when Molly found out. Ron had gotten a Howler from her every day for a month. There were threats of everything from death by garden gnome to being disowned, from disembowelment to having his tongue cut out. Harry had heard Ron whimpering in his sleep for quite a while now.

By the end of Transfiguration, Harry had an excellent idea of who the letter _wasn't_ from. He had successfully eliminated anyone from Slytherin, Hermione, and Ron.

In Potions, he tried to think about who the letter _could_ be from. The most likely choice was Collin Creevey, but he had seemed very distant lately. He also considered Dennis, in an attempt to reconcile Harry and Collin.

"Mister Potter, will you answer the question asked of you!" yelled Snape.

"I….I… I'm sorry Professor, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to repeat the question a bit more clearly," Harry said bewilderedly, thinking hurriedly.

"Obviously you weren't paying attention Potter," Snape drawled, "so that shall be ten points from Gryffindor."

Harry started to argue then thought better of it. He didn't want to lose his house any more points. He settled into his daydreaming again, stirred only by the bell.

The rest of the day went by in this manner. Harry lost thirty points by the end of the day, by which time even Hermione was quite upset with him.

"Harry, what on earth has gotten into you today? You've managed to lose us thirty points! Do you realize how well I am going to have to do to reverse these? I can understand getting a little drowsy in History of Magic, although I don't approve of it at all, but that seems to be the one class in which you didn't get caught daydreaming! And that's only because Professor Binns wouldn't notice if the building collapsed! Really, Harry, you've got to pull yourself together! I mean, really, Harry, If you don't shape up, I'll….I'll…. I'll tell Molly! You know how angry she will be." Hermione continued lecturing all through dinner, thoroughly ruining Harry's meal.

By the time he got back into the commons room, Harry was rather miserable. He sulked in the commons for a while before heading off to his bed. As he lay on his bed, trying in vain to fall asleep, he heard pecking coming from the window. He lumbered over to the window and saw an owl sitting on the sill, bearing a letter with his name on it, in the same graceful script the last letter had been in. He ripped it open as soon as he seized it from the bird's leg.

_Dearest Harry-_

_Here I am, writing to you again, although you will find that this letter is much shorter than the previous one. I am simply writing to tell you that you should not let me be a distraction to your schoolwork. I am referring of course to the episodes today. While I do enjoy watching your panicked face when you cost Gryffindor points, I do not wish to see your lessons decline. You will find out who I am soon enough. Do not allow yourself to use me to keep your mind from your studies. Concentrate. If I see that you are doing well, I will present myself to you all the more swiftly. I hope that your focus in the upcoming days is better than it was today. _

_My Eternal Devotion, _

_Your Clandestine Admirer _

Harry went to bed a happy person, dreaming of his secret lover, hoping for a better day tomorrow.


	5. A Thought Provoking Conversation

**Author's notes- I don't own any of these characters. I just come up with the crap that happens to them. With a bit of inspiration of course. (You know who you are!) Thankies are in order to my buds who deal with me when I'm banging my head trying to figure out the simplest details. Hopefully you guys know who you are and are reading this. Huggles and cookies to you chicas and chicos (mostly chicas)! Especially huggles and cookies to Spoony, AKA Itzuki. You rock and you are my main inspiration for writing this story, beyond the characters themselves of course. I FINALLY updated, without getting any flames. Well, now that I got that out of the way, on with the disclaimers! I don't own anything. I wish I owned some of these characters. I should. No fair! Hehehe...**

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Harry couldn't decide what to do with this mysterious letter. He really wanted to find out who the writer was, but he didn't have anymore clues as to the writer's identity so far. He was considering taking the letter to Hermione, to ask her who she thought it could be from. He reflected on this idea for a seemingly long time, and finally decided that he would do it.

However, Hermione was very wrapped up with her studies at the moment, and Harry wanted to avoid invoking her wrath at all costs. That night, he stayed up late, studying with her by the fire. Finally, at two in the morning, she stretched her legs from the deep chair and yawned. She began to gather her books, neatly putting all her papers in their correct folders, according to class, due date, type, and difficulty. It struck Harry how different this was from his own method of simply shoving things into his bag and hoping he could find them later.

"Umm… Hermy?" Harry asked softly.

"Yeah, Harry, what is it?" she replied tiredly.

"Well... Erm, that is... I was just wondering if maybe I could talk to you a bit. About just... You know... Stuff."

Hermione sighed. "Sure, Harry, just please hurry up, I'm quite tired."

"Well," Harry stammered, "okay, well the other day I got this letter..."

Hermione and Harry sat in thought for a few minutes after Harry finished his story. She could occasionally be heard mumbling something about education and refinement.

"Well, from what you said, it sounds like this person is probably someone who has a good education, was able to be trained in the finer aspects of life. Letter-writing, for example. And I'd say the tone is definitely masculine. Also, the handwriting, though graceful and slightly feminine, it definitely is from a male's hand. Perhaps... I don't know... Maybe it could be... Oh I don't know, someone like Ernie Macmillan!"

Harry stared at her, blinking confusedly. "Ernie... No... He would never... No… I mean... I've never imagined Ernie to be interested in anyone, much less me."

Hermione snorted. "Just because someone has good manners and is polite doesn't mean they can't be sexually attracted to someone, Harry."

He sat and pondered this for a bit, trying not to think about Ernie in a sexual light. "Well... I suppose... Maybe... I mean, everyone has their wild side… right?" he asked, looking hopefully at Hermione.

"Exactly," she said. "Besides, he's not so bad after all. Sure, he can be a bit pompous at times, but he's very kind and caring, and I'm sure you could have excellent conversations."

The idea was starting to grow on Harry. "Yes... I suppose that wouldn't be too bad... He's a fairly good person, after all. So... What do I do now?"

Hermione scoffed quietly. "Why, you ask him if he wrote the letter, of course! If he did, I'm sure he would love to go out with you."

"But... what if he didn't write the letter? I wouldn't be able to stand humiliation like that. It seems as though enough people in this school hate me as it is."

"The worst he can do is say no, and I'm sure he would at least be civil about it. You know, Harry, you'll never get anywhere if you aren't willing to take chances. I mean, so what if you get rejected? You'll bounce back, I'm certain of it. After all, you have all those other times, haven't you? Besides, I'm almost certain he's the one who wrote it. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a boyfriend?"

Although he knew it was supposed to encourage him, Hermione's speech had actually made Harry even more nervous. He had never been one to deal with refusal very well. Especially in a public situation, which he sincerely hoped it wouldn't become. Also, was he truly ready to have a boyfriend? While he did long for that special companionship, having a boyfriend would mean exposing his secret to the entire school, and he wasn't sure if he could handle being harassed about anything else in his life. Although, Dean and Seamus were constantly seen "together", and as far as Harry could tell, they weren't too bothered.

After telling Hermione good night and promising to think about talking to Ernie, Harry headed up to bed. As he did, he resigned himself to try to talk to Ernie tomorrow. After all, Hermione was right: he was a decent man, and probably wouldn't make a big fuss if he wasn't the letter-writer. As he climbed into bed, Harry was startled by the thought that by this time the next night, he might just have a boyfriend.


	6. Overcoming Fear

Harry woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of determination. He was going to locate Ernie and find out how he really felt. This may have been due to the fact that he had gotten very little sleep the night before, but he marched ahead with his plan anyway. He often got quite reckless when he was sleep-deprived.

The first class of the day that day was Herbology, with the Hufflepuffs. Harry decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to Ernie. He made sure to arrange it so that he would become Ernie's partner for their task of the day, which happened to be repotting various plants. It wasn't a very mentally challenging task; the most difficult part was to getting bitten, stabbed, or poked.

"So, Ernie, how are you?" Harry asked nervously, although Ernie couldn't tell.

"Quite fine Harry, and yourself?" Ernie responded cordially.

"Oh, well, I'm alright I suppose. However, there is something I would like to talk to you about..."

"Well, speak on Harry, I'm in high spirits, the answer to your question may very well be as you wish!" Ernie declared merrily.

"Right then... Well... Erm... I was just wondering if... Perhaps you had sent any letters lately? I received one the other day, a very odd letter. I had wondered if perhaps it was from you. It seemed to be written in a well educated hand, so I immediately thought of you. And I have just finally gotten up the nerve to ask."

"Well, Harry, I may have. Would you mind telling me the theme of this letter?" Ernie inquired.

"Actually, it was involving... Well, it told of a fondness. That the writer had. Of me. As I said, the letter was very skillfully written, and I thought of you. So..."

"Well, Harry, I must admit, you've caught me! I sent you that letter, hoping that you would figure out who it was from. You see, I've always been somewhat of an introverted being, so I couldn't think of a way to tell you. I finally decided on a letter. So, Harry, would you do me the honor?"

"The honor of what?" asked Harry absentmindedly.

"Why, of allowing me to court you, of course!" Ernie chortled.

"Umm…sure I guess…" Harry said hesitantly.

"Grand!" Ernie squealed. "This shall be great fun!"

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Well I went to a Green Day concert on the 14th. 'Twas fun! Itzuki, I wish you could have gone. :( I got it posted by the deadline; aren't you all proud! Anyway, I own none of these characters, lucky me, blah blah blah. Yes, I know that Ernie is acting quite goofy about all this. I thought that might make it more entertaining. Anyway... Ummm bye!**


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